For his new book about the "Ed Sullivan Show," former San Francisco Chronicle columnist Gerald Nachman interviewed more than 60 artists who performed on the program including Carol Burnett, Jackie Mason and Alan King. Nachman joins us to discuss the show and its legacy. His new book is "Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan's America." Nachman's other books include "Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960's" and "Raised on Radio."
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Gerald Nachman, author, former columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and TV critic for the San Jose Mercury News
More Info:
- About the book "Right Here on Our Stage Tonight!: Ed Sullivan's America" : at UCPress.edu

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The Senate faces a crucial vote on Saturday to decide whether it will move the health care bill forward to a floor debate. We get an update on the developments and discuss the next steps.
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Noam Levey, reporter for the Los Angeles Times
- Shana Alex Lavarreda, research scientist and director of health insurance studies at the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research

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A state program that has invested billions to shrink class sizes is coming apart, and the number of kids in many California classrooms is at the highest level in more than a decade. That's according to a new investigation by California Watch, a project of the Center for Investigative Reporting in collaboration with KQED Public Radio. We'll find out how teachers are coping with kindergarten through third grade classes that have as many as 30 students, a situation now common in districts like San Jose and Contra Costa County. Meanwhile, some argue that with pressing budget cuts and inconclusive evidence about the benefit of small class sizes, class size reduction should not be a priority. We explore the debate.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
- Camille Haroldsen, third grade teacher at H.A. Hyde Elementary School in Watsonville
- Louis Freedberg, director of California Watch, former member of the editorial board of the San Francisco Chronicle and former executive director of the California Media Collaborative
- Norton Grubb, professor of policy, organization, measurement and evaluation at UC Berkeley's School of Education and author of "The Money Myth"
- Sheila Jordan, Alameda County superintendent of schools
More info:
- Listen to the story from The California Report

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Graphic: How do California classrooms compare?

Compare California to other states in terms of student-to-teacher ration for public, K-12 schools.
View graphic (at California Watch)

Video: How are larger class sizes affecting California teachers?

Teachers and administrators discuss how large class sizes affect their instruction.
Watch video (at California Watch)

Map: Class Sizes Throughout California

Explore data from the state's 30 largest, K-12 school districts.
View map (at California Watch)

Voters will go to the polls next year to elect a new governor, as well as to determine the political fate of the state's junior senator, Barbara Boxer. A year out, there's already a lot of action in the races. We take stock of the political jockeying and the issues facing California.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
- Bill Whalen, research fellow at the Hoover Institution, former speechwriter for Governor Pete Wilson and political consultant to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Tom Campbell and Richard Riordan
- Chris LeHane, Democratic consultant, former press secretary for Vice President Al Gore throughout the 2000 presidential campaign and a partner at Fabiani and LeHane

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In response to the UC Regents' vote to raise tuition by 32 percent, a group of UC Berkeley students has taken over Wheeler Hall and barricaded themselves from police in protest. We get an update on the situation. Then, drivers on seven Bay Area bridges may soon see tolls go up $1 for cars, and for the first time see a $3 toll in the carpool lane. The Bay Area Toll Authority is holding hearings through next month on how much to raise tolls. Officials say they need to charge more due to rising costs, decreased bridge traffic and the need to seismically retrofit the Dumbarton and Antioch bridges. We discuss the various proposals, and how they might impact drivers.
Host: Dave Iverson
Guests:
- Andi Walden, member of the Student Worker Activist Team (SWAT) at UC Berkeley, an alliance of student groups and campus workers' unions
- Dan Brekke, KQED reporter outside UC Berkeley's Wheeler Hall
- Bob Ramorino, chair of the California Trucking Association and president of Roadstar Trucking Inc.
- John Goodwin, spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission

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Author and journalist Michael Specter believes that public fear and skepticism of technological developments -- from vaccines to genetically modified foods to synthetic biology -- threaten to undermine scientific progress. He joins us in studio to discuss his new book, "Denialism."
Host: Michael Krasny
Guests:
- Michael Specter, author and staff writer for The New Yorker
More info:
- About "Denialism" : at MichaelSpecter.com

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